Balabanto Posted April 12, 2010 Report Share Posted April 12, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I read the new Elizabeth Moon novel Oath of Fealty' date=' which kicks off another trilogy set in the world of Paksennarion. Unlike her other books in the series, this is from the viewpoint of several different people, and the action is somewhat slow, occurring only in short stints, as opposed to the longer battles and escapes and the like of the others. I didn't find it as good as her other novels in the same setting, but also realize it's only setting up things for books 2 and 3.[/quote'] I loved this book. The politics in Elizabeth Moon's novels are always more interesting than the action. I give it four and a half stars out of five. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Checkmate Posted April 12, 2010 Report Share Posted April 12, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... What I like most about the Harry Potter books is that they are encouraging millions to read books that are well written with a good use of language. They teach english! Too many books seem to be by authors hoping for movie deals, so do too much circumvention of what makes a book, a book. I agree. I do enjoy the Harry Potter movies too. After reading the books, I wish some things were different (the Weasley twins are awesome in the books, but get sidelined in the movies), but I still enjoy them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted April 12, 2010 Report Share Posted April 12, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Yeah just finished the last books too, honestly I'm glad it's over. The writing really isn't that good. I understand it's more of a young teen book, but still. In contrast, I just finished the Harry Potter series too, and wow, that was fantastic. The last book was especially good. If you haven't read the series yet, I highly recommend it. I highly recommend the Harry Potter books, but I found the last book the weakest. It was still a great book, overall well written, but it seemed like Rowling had run out of steam. I got the impression that she was going down a checklist to make sure loose ends were tied up, but the other books seemed to have more heart. Maybe I'm being a little too hard on it, as the last book in a series always has high expectations attached to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted April 13, 2010 Report Share Posted April 13, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I highly recommend the Harry Potter books' date=' but I found the last book the weakest. It was still a great book, overall well written, but it seemed like Rowling had run out of steam. I got the impression that she was going down a checklist to make sure loose ends were tied up, but the other books seemed to have more heart. Maybe I'm being a little too hard on it, as the last book in a series always has high expectations attached to it.[/quote'] I gave her a little more of a pass. By the last book she had a lot of loose ends to tie up, and if she'd written it with "more heart" the book would have been twice as long and would probably have loosened up more strings. Considering she was basically writing under a microscope, with everyone on the internet ready to jump all over any mistake no matter how small, she almost certainly had to involve a small committee in the writing of the book, otherwise she'd have gone mad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burrito Boy Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Ugh. I tried reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and made it about five chapters in before the stilted writing style made me quit in disgust. I've heard the later books are better but I haven't given any of them a chance yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSword Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I gave her a little more of a pass. By the last book she had a lot of loose ends to tie up' date=' and if she'd written it with "more heart" the book would have been twice as long and would probably have loosened up more strings. Considering she was basically writing under a microscope, with everyone on the internet ready to jump all over any mistake no matter how small, she almost certainly had to involve a small committee in the writing of the book, otherwise she'd have gone mad.[/quote'] My main complaint was that half of the book was spent with Harry, Ron, and Hermione sitting in the woods bemoaning how bad their lot in life was. I enjoyed the book, and the series, but for me, parts of the last book kinda drug on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Obvious Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Too many books seem to be by authors hoping for movie deals... Haha..I know what you mean. I read a book a few months back...The Seven Sacred Stones, I think it was called...and the whole time I just kept thinking, this would look good in a movie, but the writing sucks. I kept waiting for a ninja to chop down a building and wail on a guitar among the wreckage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gewing Posted April 16, 2010 Report Share Posted April 16, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Reading Changes now. Got it yesterday, half-way through (woulda probably finished it last night, but the previous night was 4 hours of sleep). Daughter, not son, and that's all I'll say now. AND he's planned the series out to 20 books. My only irritation will be waiting another year (probably) for the next one! I got it on Saturday. I was re-reading Turn Coat for the nth time (I really have lost track) Now I have read Changes about 2.5 times. WOW. 20 books? Awesome! Now if he could just put them out every couple months... I was sure there was more coming, but, that last page. DAMNATION! I REAALLLYYY don't want to wait a year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished Changes as well. Uhm... wow is right. The title is an understatement if I ever saw one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted April 20, 2010 Report Share Posted April 20, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I read all the Dresden Files books over about two weeks, except Small Favor since it so far has always been out of the library, and borrowed Changes. I found it really interesting to see the allies he gathers, even more than his own power increase. I found it pretty funny when he listed off just what resources were at his disposal. (multi-book spoiler) "Well, Mab, if I don't become the Winter Knight, I could grab Lasciel's coin and ally with one of the most powerful of Fallen angels, or enact the Darkhallow, the most evil necromantic ritual on Earth and known only to me. You're just the least evil option." And I think I'm forgetting something he listed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read the Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann. In a New York policed by airships, cars are powered by coal, and biplanes are launched with rockets, The Ghost tries to unravel the mystery around the mob boss known as the Roman. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted April 25, 2010 Report Share Posted April 25, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read the Ghosts of Manhattan by George Mann. In a New York policed by airships, cars are powered by coal, and biplanes are launched with rockets, The Ghost tries to unravel the mystery around the mob boss known as the Roman. CES I've seen that in Borders. Is it any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted April 26, 2010 Report Share Posted April 26, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I liked it, but I am notoriously easy to please. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiggins Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished Changes by Jim Butcher. I'm really wondering about the ending. Is he dead? it sure looked like it to me. Or is it Mab takeing him to do the winter knight thing? I think Murphy is now in a good position to take the sword full time, as it looks like she will be forced to retire. And assuming that Harry survives she can go into the Private investigation business with him (part time). Of course a lot of the villians have gone the way of the DODO, so Butcher will have to come up with some new badguys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I just finished Changes by Jim Butcher. I'm really wondering about the ending. Is he dead? it sure looked like it to me. Or is it Mab takeing him to do the winter knight thing? I think Murphy is now in a good position to take the sword full time, as it looks like she will be forced to retire. And assuming that Harry survives she can go into the Private investigation business with him (part time). Of course a lot of the villians have gone the way of the DODO, so Butcher will have to come up with some new badguys? I've heard the next book is to be called "Ghost Story" so.... And if he's been shot by a third party, Mab is gonna be freakin' pissed. I like the idea of a Murphy Harry term-up and I wouldn't worry about new bad guys... Jim's got something like 8-10 more books to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiggins Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I've heard the next book is to be called "Ghost Story" so.... And if he's been shot by a third party, Mab is gonna be freakin' pissed. I like the idea of a Murphy Harry term-up and I wouldn't worry about new bad guys... Jim's got something like 8-10 more books to go. if Harry is MIA for a long time is the white councel going to revoke Mollys parole? Revoke it as in "Off with her head?" Or will Ebenezer McCoy step in and save her? (I think he would.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... if Harry is MIA for a long time is the white councel going to revoke Mollys parole? Revoke it as in "Off with her head?" Or will Ebenezer McCoy step in and save her? (I think he would.) That's a good question. However, knowing now what we know about Ebenezer McCoy, I agree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... That's a good question. However, knowing now what we know about Ebenezer McCoy, I agree. I think McCoy would take over, but in their relief to be rid of Harry, I think they would likely remove the Damocles entirely. I think Harry is dead. We know that wizards can leave powerful ghosts, and we know spirits are real (the ectomancer deals with them all the time, what's his name), and we know that even a shadow of Harry is pretty powerful from when he's dealt with his own subconscious, and the one time got help from his own ghost (Grave Peril, I think that was). And, don't forget that he tied himself to that uncharted island with the powerful genius loci, and then fell in the water relatively nearby (ok, ok, some miles distant, but it didn't really take him all that long to chug his way over there in the Water Beetle), a genius loci so powerful that the Gatekeeper himself, tasked with countering Outsider threats, wouldn't set foot on the island, so I suspect he is going to encounter some version of the afterlife with the aid of the genius loci. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susano Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I think McCoy would take over, but in their relief to be rid of Harry, I think they would likely remove the Damocles entirely. I think Harry is dead. We know that wizards can leave powerful ghosts, and we know spirits are real (the ectomancer deals with them all the time, what's his name), and we know that even a shadow of Harry is pretty powerful from when he's dealt with his own subconscious, and the one time got help from his own ghost (Grave Peril, I think that was). And, don't forget that he tied himself to that uncharted island with the powerful genius loci, and then fell in the water relatively nearby (ok, ok, some miles distant, but it didn't really take him all that long to chug his way over there in the Water Beetle), a genius loci so powerful that the Gatekeeper himself, tasked with countering Outsider threats, wouldn't set foot on the island, so I suspect he is going to encounter some version of the afterlife with the aid of the genius loci. And if he is dead, he won't be for long. I honestly don't see Harry as a ghost for the next x books. Also, I'm betting Mouse can find and see him as a ghost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... And if he is dead, he won't be for long. I honestly don't see Harry as a ghost for the next x books. Also, I'm betting Mouse can find and see him as a ghost. Indeed. I suspect that Ghost Story will involve some adventures in the afterlife, culminating in him getting a body back (though maybe not his own, ala Luccio, just a different method) This might not happen until the next book, though. I also suspect that it will end up cancelling his Winter Knight position for Mab. As for bad guys, I think Old Nic is still around, we know his daughter is, and possibly his wife. Nic didn't drop his coin before Harry dropped him in the drink, and we didn't see a coin drop after Harry bored a hole in Tessa's chest. I would rate Tessa as more likely dead than Nic, though. And, of course, with the coins, her Fallen still give tremendous power, just not so much experience with the power (Tessa was quite an accomplished sorceress, and as I recall that can only come from experience, not the coin.) And, of course, there are a number of coins still out there. On the subject of Fallen, I don't think we've seen the last of Lash. I don't think she's necessarily all goody-two-shoes, but I think she'll appear in some fashion to help Harry again. Possibly in the afterlife... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted May 3, 2010 Report Share Posted May 3, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... I think it's been covered here before, but I just finished His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik. Great book. What struck me about it was how easy it was to read--I didn't have to spend a lot of effort deciphering the author's writing. Relatively lightweight as far as characterization and plot, and shorter than most sf/f books nowadays, but I hardly felt as though I had overpaid. In face quite the opposite. Recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwiggins Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... culminating in him getting a body back (though maybe not his own, ala Luccio, just a different method) that might be a problem as a lot of a wizards power is connected to their body. Luccio is much weaker in her new body On the subject of Fallen, I don't think we've seen the last of Lash. I don't think she's necessarily all goody-two-shoes, but I think she'll appear in some fashion to help Harry again. Possibly in the afterlife... would be interesting. Can an immortal change? He talked the shadow of Lash into makeing an independant decision, and then she sacrificed herself to save him. Maybe get the Lash in the coin to repent and ask for help from that archangel Urial (?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escafarc Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Just finished Sasha by Joel Shepherd. It was just ok, not as good as his Cassandra Kresnov books. It sort of plods along never quite gets into gear. And then there are the "Uber-elves" with the serial numbers filed off that if there had been any mention of in the summary on the back I would of passed on the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matrix3 Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... that might be a problem as a lot of a wizards power is connected to their body. Luccio is much weaker in her new body would be interesting. Can an immortal change? He talked the shadow of Lash into makeing an independant decision, and then she sacrificed herself to save him. Maybe get the Lash in the coin to repent and ask for help from that archangel Urial (?) I made a new thread if folks want to keep discussing Dresden Files. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csyphrett Posted May 7, 2010 Report Share Posted May 7, 2010 Re: What Fantasy/Sci-Fi book have you just finished? Please rate it... Read Lord Sunday by Garth Nix. Arthur Penhalgion has been trying to save the universe from the seven trustees that have split their universal house reality for six books. As he confronts his various adversaries, he learns the dreadful secret of the architect. CES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.